Descendant of veteran hosts Double Tenth flag-raising event

TAIPEI--A descendant of a former soldier who spent his life savings of over NT$300,000 (US$10,235) to buy national flags gathered over 1,000 people to take part in a flag-raising ceremony he organized in northern Taiwan's Taoyuan County to celebrate Double Ten National Day.

Chang Lao-wang decorated the road from his restaurant to a park where he held the ceremony with more than 20,000 flags to show his love and affection for Taiwan.

The 72-year-old has held the ceremony for 18 consecutive years since the death of his father, captain of a 500-member unit of the Republic of China Army that was stranded in northern Thailand when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek lost the Chinese civil war and fled China for Taiwan.

Chang recalled that his mother made a flag out of scraps and displayed it to help raise the morale of the force, which was eventually left with only 30 members and was finally evacuated by the ROC government in 1953.

"Every time I see a national flag, it reminds me of the one my mother made," he said.

Chang also expressed hope that local governments will sponsor people like him to organize similar flag-raising ceremonies to help boost the country's spirit.